Classic flicks under the stars

The seventh annual Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park will open with James Dean as a rebel without a cause, and end with Ferris Bueller as a rebel with one. The series of seven free Tuesday evening screenings, which draw crowds upward of 14,000, unspools starting July 18 at Butler Field, Monroe and South Lake Shore. The schedule of this year's festival, which is presented by the Mayor's Office of Special Events, Commonwealth Edison, the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Film Office, was released today.

I will join fellow critic and Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper in introducing the opening-night screening of "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), starring James Dean and Natalie Wood. We'll talk about 8:15 p.m.; the movie will start at 8:55. All screenings will begin at dusk, which grows gradually earlier as the festival progresses. Prime positions on the lawn start filling up an hour or more before, as movie buffs stake out their turf, spread their blankets and unpack their snacks.

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